FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Grandma's Champs Seek Bonus at Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon
$10,000 Offered for Minnesota Marathon Victory Double
A prize purse of $113,000 is on offer for professional athletes competing
in the 31st running of the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon on October 7, but
for Ethiopia's Berhanu Girma and Kenya's Everlyne Lagat, an additional
$5,000 is available for each, if they can match their victories at June's
Grandma's Marathon in Duluth with wins at the Medtronic Twin Cities
Marathon.
The bonus, offered by Grandma's Marathon-Duluth, Inc. and Twin Cities In
Motion, organizer of the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, recognizes the
unique achievement of winning both of Minnesota's signature marathons in a
single year. In the last three decades, only Andrew Musuva, in 1999, has
won same-year men's titles at Grandma's and Twin Cities. Last year,
Buzunesh Deba became the first woman to win same-year titles at the events.
Grandma's Marathon was established in 1977; the Twin Cities Marathon
originated in 1982.
To collect the bonus, Girma and Lagat will not only need to conquer the
26.2 mile marathon distance but also defeat a strong field of international
and domestic contenders lining up for the race. Girma competed in last
year's Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, finishing in 13th-place with a time
of 2 hours, 19 minutes, and 45 seconds. Lagat, who had finished in 2nd and
3rd-place in her previous Grandma's Marathons, has never raced at the
Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon.
The Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon pays its open champions $15,000 and
offers an additional $25,000 each if they break the event's course records.
The men's record stands at 2:10:05 set by American Phil Coppess in 1985.
The women's record of 2:26:51 is shared by Russians Zinaida Semenova and
Irina Permitina. Semenova was the 2001 women's champion; Permitina was the
2004 winner.
About Twin Cities In Motion (TCM): Twin Cities In Motion (formerly Twin
Cities Marathon, Inc.) is the non-profit organization that provides
nationally recognized, high quality running events throughout the year,
including the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. With a mission of promoting a
healthy lifestyle through running, TCM and its charity partners contribute
over $500,000 to related causes each year. For more information, visit
www.tcmevents.org, www.facebook.com/TwinCitiesInMotion, and follow us on
Twitter @tcmarathon.
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